LARGO, Fla. — Dane Capo, an artist living with autism, realized when he moved to Florida that he's doing more than raising a paintbrush: he’s raising awareness for autism.
“Art is about the story as much as it is about the art itself,” Krista Capo, Dane's mom, said. “We were told he would never read, we were told he would never write, he would never do math.”
But Dane proved everyone wrong through his work, all while using his own unique style. He started by painting friends and family and then progressed to celebrities, including the Beatles and Elvis.
Dane's family ended up moving from California to Tampa Bay during the pandemic and opened up Dane's own studio in Largo.
His work was even introduced to Foot Locker to help bring awareness to autism through their “Be Seen” collection, where Dane's design was printed on t-shirts and stocked on store shelves. The messages of support and appreciation started pouring in shortly after.
“We inspire them to push through,” Krista said.
Dane said it would be great if more people in the autistic community began to paint because of him. His next stop is New York Fashion Week, on September 12, where he'll model adaptive clothing from Target during the Runway of Dreams Fashion Revolution.
For more information on Dane and where to buy his paintings, head to his website.
